In the news today, Jan. 12

The Canadian Press

Published: Jan 12 at 4:15 a.m.

Updated: Jan 12 at 5:30 a.m.

Eight stories in the news for Friday, Jan. 12

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ANOTHER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR QUITS MMIW INQUIRY

The inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls has lost another executive director. The commission, which has been plagued by numerous staffing changes, says Debbie Reid has stepped down as executive director but it will not comment further, calling it a personnel matter. It says director of operations Calvin Wong will act as interim executive director.

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PUBLIC FUNERAL TODAY FOR SLAIN B.C. SISTERS

A public funeral service will be held today for two British Columbia sisters found dead in an Oak Bay home on Christmas Day. The bodies of Aubrey and Chloe Berry, aged four and six, were found after their mother reported the girls overdue from a visit with their father. The service will be held at Victoria's Christ Church Cathedral. The father of the girls is charged with two counts of second-degree murder and remains in custody.

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ONTARIO MAYOR TO APOLOGIZE TO LGBTQ COMMUNITY

The mayor of London, Ont., plans to apologize today to the city's LGBTQ community for the refusal of a previous mayor and council to proclaim a Pride day in 1995. Then-mayor Dianne Haskett refused a request from the gay community to declare a Pride weekend in July 1995, prompting complaints of discrimination. Mayor Matt Brown's office said he will apologize to the LGBTQ community at 11 a.m. on the steps of city hall.

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UNIVERSITY SAYS NO GROUNDS TO EXPEL STUDENT

The University of Calgary says it has no grounds to expel a student convicted of sexual interference involving a 13-year-old girl in British Columbia. The administration made the statement in the face of a petition signed by a growing number of people calling for the expulsion of Connor Neurauter. University Provost Dru Marshall says while the situation is complicated and difficult, the crime took place before Neurauter was enrolled as a student.

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YUKON POT RULES FOCUS ON PROTECTING YOUTH

Yukon's government says it wants regulations for recreational marijuana to focus on minimizing health impacts for young people. The territory has released a summary of draft legislation ahead of Ottawa's plans for legalization this summer. The proposed rules include setting the age for consumption at 19, the same limit set by B.C., Ontario and several other provinces.

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SOULPEPPER SET TO BEGIN NEXT SHOW

On Saturday, just over a week after four actresses filed separate lawsuits against the Toronto-based Soulpepper Theatre Company and its founding artistic director Albert Schultz, the theatre will start its next production: American playwright Edward Albee's Pulitzer Prize-winning "A Delicate Balance." The allegations, which have not been tested in court, allege Schultz groped the women and otherwise behaved inappropriately. Schultz said he will "vigorously defend" himself against the allegations.

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MAN ACCUSED OF IMPRISONING COUPLE TO LEARN FATE

A Toronto man accused of keeping a homeless couple captive and forcing them to give up their baby so he could raise it as his own is expected to learn his fate today. Gary Willett has pleaded not guilty to assault, abduction, forcible confinement, failing to provide the necessaries of life and theft in a series of events that began more than 20 years ago. His wife, Maria Willett, has also pleaded not guilty to similar charges but will be tried separately.

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N.B. CITY MARKS 10 YEARS SINCE TRAGIC VAN CRASH

Emotions remain strong 10 years later for those touched by a crash in New Brunswick that claimed the lives of seven young basketball players and the wife of their coach. On January 12th, 2008, a 15-passenger van carrying members of the Bathurst High boys basketball team skidded on a slushy highway and hit an oncoming transport truck. The City of Bathurst will observe a day of mourning on the anniversary and fly flags at half-mast.

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ALSO IN THE NEWS TODAY:

— Jurors at the Quebec trial of the three men charged in the Lac-Megantic train explosion resume deliberations.

— Final day of the Liberal Cabinet retreat in London, Ont.

— Conservative Party Leader Andrew Scheer speaks at the Mississauga Board of Trade.

— Sentencing date to be set in Calgary for Dave Humeniuk, who pleaded guilty to defrauding investors.